Some account of the Jacotot system of universal instruction with a preliminary reference to the systems of Lancaster, Fellenburgh, and Pestalozzi, read before the Albany Institute at its last regular meeting, in April 1831.

Mode of access: Internet.

A treatise on navigation by steam; comprising a history of the steam engine, and an essay towards a system of the naval tactics peculiar to steam navigation, as applicable both to commerce and maritime warfare; including a comparison of its advantages as related to other systems in the circumstances of speed, safety and economy, but more particularly in that of the national defence.

Author's presentation copy.

A modular holistic approach to prosody modelling for Standard Yorùbá speech synthesis

This paper presents a novel prosody model in the context of computer text-to-speech synthesis applications for tone languages. We have demonstrated its applicability using the Standard Yorùbá (SY) language. Our approach is motivated by the theory that abstract and realised forms of various prosody dimensions should be modelled within a modular and unified framework [Coleman, J.S., 1994. Polysyllabic words in the YorkTalk synthesis system. In: Keating, P.A. (Ed.), Phonological Structure and Forms: Papers in Laboratory Phonology III, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 293–324]. We have implemented this framework using the Relational Tree (R-Tree) technique. R-Tree is a sophisticated data structure for representing a multi-dimensional waveform in the form of a tree. The underlying assumption of this research is that it is possible to develop a practical prosody model by using appropriate computational tools and techniques which combine acoustic data with an encoding of the phonological and phonetic knowledge provided by experts. To implement the intonation dimension, fuzzy logic based rules were developed using speech data from native speakers of Yorùbá. The Fuzzy Decision Tree (FDT) and the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) techniques were tested in modelling the duration dimension. For practical reasons, we have selected the FDT for implementing the duration dimension of our prosody model. To establish the effectiveness of our prosody model, we have also developed a Stem-ML prosody model for SY. We have performed both quantitative and qualitative evaluations on our implemented prosody models. The results suggest that, although the R-Tree model does not predict the numerical speech prosody data as accurately as the Stem-ML model, it produces synthetic speech prosody with better intelligibility and naturalness. The R-Tree model is particularly suitable for speech prosody modelling for languages with limited language resources and expertise, e.g. African languages. Furthermore, the R-Tree model is easy to implement, interpret and analyse.

Conversação homem-máquina. Caracterização e avaliação do estado actual das soluções de speech recognition, speech synthesis e sistemas de conversação homem-máquina

A comunicação verbal humana é realizada em dois sentidos, existindo uma compreensão de ambas as partes que resulta em determinadas considerações. Este tipo de comunicação, também chamada de diálogo, para além de agentes humanos pode ser constituído por agentes humanos e máquinas. A interação entre o Homem e máquinas, através de linguagem natural, desempenha um papel importante na melhoria da comunicação entre ambos. Com o objetivo de perceber melhor a comunicação entre Homem e máquina este documento apresenta vários conhecimentos sobre sistemas de conversação Homemmáquina, entre os quais, os seus módulos e funcionamento, estratégias de diálogo e desafios a ter em conta na sua implementação. Para além disso, são ainda apresentados vários sistemas de Speech Recognition, Speech Synthesis e sistemas que usam conversação Homem-máquina. Por último são feitos testes de performance sobre alguns sistemas de Speech Recognition e de forma a colocar em prática alguns conceitos apresentados neste trabalho, é apresentado a implementação de um sistema de conversação Homem-máquina. Sobre este trabalho várias ilações foram obtidas, entre as quais, a alta complexidade dos sistemas de conversação Homem-máquina, a baixa performance no reconhecimento de voz em ambientes com ruído e as barreiras que se podem encontrar na implementação destes sistemas.

Efficient Modeling of Thin Wires in a Lossy Medium by Finite Elements Applied to Grounding Systems

A procedure is proposed to accurately model thin wires in lossy media by finite element analysis. It is based on the determination of a suitable element width in the vicinity of the wire, which strongly depends on the wire radius to yield accurate results. The approach is well adapted to the analysis of grounding systems. The numerical results of the application of finite element analysis with the suitably chosen element width are compared with both analytical results and those computed by a commercial package for the analysis of grounding systems, showing very good agreement.

New approaches to underground systems in Brazilian Smilax species (Smilacaceae)

MARTINS, A. R. (Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil), N. PUT, (Division of Biology and Education, University of Vechta, 49377 Vechta, Germany), A. N. SOARES, A.B BOMB, and B. APPEZZATO DA GLORIA (Biological Science Department, Escola Superior de Agricultura `Luiz de Queiroz`, University of Sao Paulo, 13418-900, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil). J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 137: 220-235. 2010.-New approaches to underground systems in Brazilian Smilax species (Smilacaceae). Scientific studies show that the watery extract of the thickened underground stem and its adventitious roots of the genus Smilax can act as a therapeutic agent in immunoinflammatory disorders, such as rheumatic arthritis. Brazilians have used this genus of plants in folk medicine, however it is very hard to identify these species, since the morphology of the underground systems is very similar in this group. For better identification of those systems, we studied six species of Smilax L. (S. brasiliensis, S. campestris, S. cissoides, S. goyazana, S. oblongifolia and S. rufescens), collected in different regions of Brazil with different physiognomies and soil characteristics. The main purpose is to describe the morpho-anatomy of the underground systems and to analyze if their structure depends on environmental conditions. The underground stem (rhizophore) is of brown color and it is knotty, massive, slender (S. rufescens) or tuberous (S. brasiliensis, S. campestris, S. cissoides, S. goyazana and S. oblongifolia). The tuberization is a result of primary thickened meristem (PTM) activity. The color and thickness of the adventitious roots change during development because the epidermis and outer cortex are disposed of, so the inner cortex becomes the new covering tissue with lignified and dark color cells. There are differences in starch grain shapes in mature roots. The chemical attributes of the soil are very similar in all studied environments and, even when soil characteristics varied, all the species` underground system was distributed close to the soil surface (10 to 15 cm deep). The species exhibited clonal growth hence their underground system functions as storage structures and the axillary buds can sprout into new stems. Only Smilax rufescens, collected in sandy soil of Restinga, has vegetative dispersal due to the runners.

Applying linear time-varying constraints to econometric models: With an application to demand systems

When linear equality constraints are invariant through time they can be incorporated into estimation by restricted least squares. If, however, the constraints are time-varying, this standard methodology cannot be applied. In this paper we show how to incorporate linear time-varying constraints into the estimation of econometric models. The method involves the augmentation of the observation equation of a state-space model prior to estimation by the Kalman filter. Numerical optimisation routines are used for the estimation. A simple example drawn from demand analysis is used to illustrate the method and its application.

On the development of an automatic voice pleasantness classification and intensity estimation system

In the last few years, the number of systems and devices that use voice based interaction has grown significantly. For a continued use of these systems, the interface must be reliable and pleasant in order to provide an optimal user experience. However there are currently very few studies that try to evaluate how pleasant is a voice from a perceptual point of view when the final application is a speech based interface. In this paper we present an objective definition for voice pleasantness based on the composition of a representative feature subset and a new automatic voice pleasantness classification and intensity estimation system. Our study is based on a database composed by European Portuguese female voices but the methodology can be extended to male voices or to other languages. In the objective performance evaluation the system achieved a 9.1% error rate for voice pleasantness classification and a 15.7% error rate for voice pleasantness intensity estimation.

Combined mutation differential evolution to solve systems of nonlinear equations

This paper presents a differential evolution heuristic to compute a solution of a system of nonlinear equations through the global optimization of an appropriate merit function. Three different mutation strategies are combined to generate mutant points. Preliminary numerical results show the effectiveness of the presented heuristic.

Automated illustration of multimedia stories

Submitted in part fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Computer Science

Embodied Autonomy in Digital Ecosystems: From Bio-Inspired Agents to Cognitive Systems

This paper proposes to promote autonomy in digital ecosystems so that it provides agents with information to improve the behavior of the digital ecosystem in terms of stability. This work proposes that, in digital ecosystems, autonomous agents can provide fundamental services and information. The final goal is to run the ecosystem, generate novel conditions and let agents exploit them. A set of evaluation measures must be defined as well. We want to provide an outline of some global indicators, such as heterogeneity and diversity, and establish relationships between agent behavior and these global indicators to fully understand interactions between agents, and to understand the dependence and autonomy relations that emerge between the interacting agents. Individual variations, interaction dependencies, and environmental factors are determinants of autonomy that would be considered. The paper concludes with a discussion of situations when autonomy is a milestone

Application of the microcanonical multifractal formalism to monofractal systems

The design of appropriate multifractal analysis algorithms, able to correctly characterize the scaling properties of multifractal systems from experimental, discretized data, is a major challenge in the study of such scale invariant systems. In the recent years, a growing interest for the application of the microcanonical formalism has taken place, as it allows a precise localization of the fractal components as well as a statistical characterization of the system. In this paper, we deal with the specific problems arising when systems that are strictly monofractal are analyzed using some standard microcanonical multifractal methods. We discuss the adaptations of these methods needed to give an appropriate treatment of monofractal systems.

Atypical coordination of cortical oscillations in response to speech in autism.

Subjects with autism often show language difficulties, but it is unclear how they relate to neurophysiological anomalies of cortical speech processing. We used combined EEG and fMRI in 13 subjects with autism and 13 control participants and show that in autism, gamma and theta cortical activity do not engage synergistically in response to speech. Theta activity in left auditory cortex fails to track speech modulations, and to down-regulate gamma oscillations in the group with autism. This deficit predicts the severity of both verbal impairment and autism symptoms in the affected sample. Finally, we found that oscillation-based connectivity between auditory and other language cortices is altered in autism. These results suggest that the verbal disorder in autism could be associated with an altered balance of slow and fast auditory oscillations, and that this anomaly could compromise the mapping between sensory input and higher-level cognitive representations.

The Figure of Radha in Miniature Paintings: From the Pastoral to the Courtly, from Text to Visuality, from Polyphony to Normativity

This article analyses how Radha was depicted in miniature paintings between the 16th and 19th century in North India. Interrogating the link between text and image, contrasting poetry, style and historical settings with the visual representations of this central figure, my reflections focus on the changing nature of Radha. Through various examples from miniature paintings of different periods and schools, this article analyses the way the rich personality of Radha was transposed into images. In order to stress the changes brought to this female figure, I compare her to Krishna, the masculine figure who is always at her side. The main goal of the article is to show the normative power of images on the figure of Radha, with normativity being understood as the simplification, iconisation, aestheticisation and stereotypification of a figure with polysemous references.